Shall we dance // Mabigail (english)

Oh, Matthew, look at you. What has happened to the sceptical young man who used to smile at those idiots, finding their excitement for a simple Christmas party completely overkill? Who's overly excited now, huh? You try to convince yourself that you've inherited this enthusiasm from both Madeline and Joy, but we both know that it's a lie, right? Let's be honest, it's your first Christmas party. I mean, a real one, one which is not a simple device to bring another girl in your bed sheets.  It's been a month now. A month of a true relationship and its kisses when you wake up by her side, smiles when her skin touches yours, and, of course sweet "i love you" frequently coming out of your mouth. You can hardly believe how cheesy you've become, but somehow, you like that feeling. You like it when you feel the blood pulsing in your veins every time you got to see her smile toward you, when you got to cuddle and smell her sugary fragrance filling your bed after she left.

That's why this time, you were a tiny bit nervous. Because it wasn't just your first prom, but also the last one before you got to leave the island. Your last 9 months before you leave for Harvard, and you wanted to be sure Madeline would remind this one as the best Christmas prom she had ever been to. You actually got a gorgeous necklace from Les Nereides Paris, but you also wanted to be sure she enjoyed the evening at least as much as her present.

You did put your best today. For some reason, a so-called Magnus ended up having your suit done under Madeline's guidance. The purple fabric he used was quite unusual, or at least didn't matched your everyday colour scheme but it definitely looked good on you. The tone matched your willow eyes and the size was as good as your tailor-made tuxedos. You completed the outfit with a white shirt and simple black tie, adding the tiepin and cufflink you previously worn for your fist date together. How cute.

You finally took off to the common room at quarter to eight. You used the last fifteen minutes after you finished dinner to get dressed but you knew your girlfriend wouldn't be ready before another quarter of an hour. So you just grabbed a chair in the living room and sat there for a while, skimming through a book you left on the coffee table. To be honest, you couldn't wait to see her in her dress, and when she finally stepped in, you were stunned.

You stayed quiet for a few seconds, gazing at her sumptuous line before you managed to express something.

- You're … gorgeous.  

Your eyes were wandering on the thin fabric embracing her pale skin as you stood up to move by her side. Shrinking the space between your bodies to a couple of inches, you seize the opportunity to detail every aspect both of her outfit and make-up. From the light blush on her cheek to the perfect line on her eyelid enhancing the beauty of her oceanic eyes. Which kind of remind you that you had an additional gift for her. This one was more of a terrible joke but to be honest, you did think it was funny. The packaging looked pretty refined and even the lipstick itself had a rather harmonious aspect if it wasn't for the inside. I mean, yeah, it was a penis-shaped lipstick, but she had enough self-derision to find it funny, right? At least, you hoped so, because when she handed you her beautiful bag out, you put inserted your finger into the inside pocket of your suit, taking a beautiful golden rectangle-shaped box, florid with a huge flaming ribbon.

You grabbed the bag while presenting her your tiny present with a crooked smile. It was nothing compared to the one you gave her earlier, really, that's why you did not gave them both at the same time, for her not to associate your simple prank with your serious Christmas gift. You were actually quite flattered she accepted to wear it tonight and change her probably "settled since last month" plan to include your necklace.

Anyway, you gently opened what she gave you, discovering a beautiful bottle marked with her family's name on it. You didn't really know what to expect out of it, since you were pretty sure the Davis' business wasn't really perfumery. But when you brought the glass to your nose, you did think the smell was nice. A spicy/sweet fragrance was escaping from the package. Definitely something you would wear if you didn't used some cologne already. The second package was a cubic box wrapped in a Christmassy paper. When you opened in, you found an amazingly detailed pocket watch displaying carved eagle design on the front. The whole piece was quite heavy for it size, which led you to suspect the object was fully sculpt by your girlfriend herself. You stared at the piece of art for a few second before you dared to reveal the inside. On the back of the cover, you recognize her handwriting on those overly lovely words she added.

You couldn't help but smile. To be honest, you wish you could have just had a witty thing to answer to this, but you were still in this too romantic phase every single couple experience when they start dating. Thus, you just looked at her with your happy face, placing your arm onto her hips before gently kissing her lips.

- I'm not quite sure Staunton will believe me when I'll claim I'm a pinguino now I'm dating the prettiest one of the Adler and wearing their emblem on a pocket watch but, eh. Thank you.  

You laughed while stepping back to open your jacket and the middle button of your vest. You've seen your father wearing such a watch on very formal occasions, but you had no idea you'd have to copy his movement before a long time. Placing the hook into the buttonhole of your waistcoat, pulling the chain to the right length, checking the link wasn't strong enough… As a child, you had always wanted to imitate your dad preparation for ceremonies, and here you were, but it didn't have anything to do with this man you tried your best not to hate after he sold you in a negotiation.  

- Ok, my second gift wasn't nearly as cool as yours. I'll be sure to make up for this injustice later tonight.  

And after the red-head kissed your cheek, offering to leave for the ball room, you calmly gave her your arm to leave the bungalow.

It wasn't this cold for a Christmas night therefore walking to the main building was quite enjoyable. A few couple were still on their way too, and by the time you arrived to the festive hall hosting the event, the place wasn't too crowded yet. You recognized a few faces from the music club on stage, but you honestly felt like the hallway was a complete different place.

- They definitely did their best with the decoration this year.

Your hand went from her arm to her waist, gently squishing her body against yours. It was time for the party to begin.

Too be honest, your words didn't reflect how impressed you were with the current state of the hall. Every single detail of it were stunning. But among everything, the starry sky covering the usual roof of the school entrance made the whole scenery very romantic.

This thought made you feel kind of awkward. You never really cared about the mood of the parties you intended. Christmas parties, more specifically, were always a drag. The official event at the embassy in Beijing were way to strict to have any fun and you had to look up after Timothy most of the time anyway. At the end of the day, they've never been anything to be remembered, even Jim's party weren't anyway like this time.

This time… It was different in so many ways. Thinking such a thing, it felt kind of cheesy, but you couldn't care less for tonight. You could allow yourself to be a hopeless romantic on this day. You hand slowly reached for her present in your pocket. Touching the cold metal gave you an oddly warm feeling which didn't fail to make you smile.

- Where and how should we start? Maybe the ballroom? Does it sounds good to you? It's the nearest and I don't want my dress to get dirty or wet in the weird looking snow…

- It would be a shame if we had to go home and take it off because of some stains.
You couldn't help but smirk, your eyes turning to Madeline with a sly gaze. You couldn't help but speak those kinds of jokes out loud. Not that mature of you, but to be honest, you didn't really care.

- I mean, yes. Let's do that. I'm not sure I want to explore any more for now. I heard were thing happened last year, so we'd better stick to the basics.

You wouldn't like anything to ruin your evening. You really wanted to make it a good memory for your girlfriend. And especially because you wanted to make sure it was better than what an average red-haired E student could do. What a pitiful challenge for someone like you, but for some reasons, you couldn't help but feel a glimpse of jealousy thinking of her relationship with this guy.

You gently offered your hand to her before, waiting for her finger to reach yours before you headed to the dancefloor.

- Shall we?